Customer Reviews

Chewing the Cud: An Extraordinary Life Remembered by the Author of Babe: The Gallant Pig

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If you have seen the movie "Babe" and been delighted by the characters and story, you will thoroughly enjoy this book. I listened to it on tape, and the reader was none other than the author himself, veddy English and likeable. Mr. King-Smith recounts his early years, his stint in the military, the courtship of his wife, the birth of his children and his various careers, including the longest one, that of being a farmer. From these experiences, mostly as a farmer, Mr. King-Smith built a reputation as a children's book author. I was sad to come to the end and longed for more. I hope Mr. King-Smith has another book like it in him; he could follow in the tradition of the much loved James Herriot. A simple memoir, for those of you who like them, full of nice people, animal stories, and the evidence of Mr. King-Smith's sweet nature. A short gem and a breath of fresh air.

The best kind of memoir is the one that makes the reader feel, at the conclusion, that she or he has gotten to know the writer as a person. Dick King-Smith's book is a conversation with a good, kind-hearted friend who tells you without boasting about his life's success as a children's writer and his love for the farm life which proved to be not so successful (at least in a financial sense). His love for the farm animals that were the center of most of his books and a delightful sense of humor, usually exercized at his own expense, come through with total sincerity.

Dick King-Smith is one of my favorite authors. He writes books that are for children but are equally enjoyed by adults. And this autobiography is no exception. Being a writer myself (though just a journalist right now -- an inspiring children's author one day) his book and his journey in becoming an author was so nice to read. He didn't start out as an author. It was a gradual thing.

This autobiography of a popular children's book author provides a delightful memoir for kids in grades 6-8, telling of Dick King-Smith's life and how he came up with the animal characters which are so popular in his children's stories. Any prior fan of Dick King-Smith's writings will find Chewing The Cud filled with fascinating insights about his life and sources for inspiration.